A Different Character
by JazzGirl123
Summary: After a conversation with Julie, Runo finds herself having the desire to flirt and she chooses the pizza delivery guy as her practice target. How will this go down, she wonders? Definitely not how she had initially expected. DanxRuno, ShunxAlice, JuliexBilly Rated for minor language and kissing.


…

Runo Misaki, fifteen years old, sighed as she listened to her best friend, Julie Makimato, complain about her boyfriend, Billy, _again_.

"Julie," the blue haired girl cut in, sounding annoyed as she sat up in her bed and pressed her phone against her cheek. "If you complain about him this much, I think it's time to end the relationship."

The other girl gasped. "I can't do that to my precious Billy-cakes! We're not as intimate and cutesy as we were a few years ago, yeah, but we still love each other very much! It would just be totes awful if we broke up!"

"Well, then how about next time you talk to him instead of me when you have an issue with him?" Runo remarked, blowing her bangs out of her face as she glared at her chipped toenails; she needed to clip them. Her computer desktop was looking pretty cluttered too; she spent way too much time online. "You can't solve your relationship issues if you don't approach them directly."

Julie sighed. "I know, I know, but he just makes me so mad sometimes! I feel like he deliberately ignores me sometimes when we go out with our friends; he ends up doing stupid things with the guys, like seeing who can race around Bakugan Valley the fastest or who can spot the kangaroo first! Crikey, he's so goddamn annoying!"

"Sometimes I forget that you're Australian," replied Runo, glancing at the clock on her nightstand. Her parents had left for a convention and wouldn't be back until next week so she had the house to herself. That meant having to cook and clean for herself, which stunk because she had no abilities in a kitchen despite being the daughter of the people who owned a five star restaurant and prepared everything themselves.

"You're missing the point," exclaimed Julie, frustrated. "You just don't understand how upsetting and frustrating guys can be!"

"Guys can actually be really simple," stated Runo, amused. "I'm pretty sure that it's the girls who make everything so difficult."

"You only say that because you're, like, a total tomboy and all of your friends at school are guys," snapped Julie. "I don't understand; aren't all Japanese people, like, total introverts and tend to stick to tradition?"

"If that was the case, I'd be married by now and bearing a child in my kimono," Runo deadpanned, shuddering slightly. "Don't be so stereotypical, Jules; and what do you mean by I wouldn't understand?"

"Well, you've never actually been in a relationship…even though you turn sixteen next month…that's pretty sad, if you think about; you've never even kissed anyone!"

"There's nothing wrong with being single," said Runo defensively, placing a hand on her stomach when it growled loudly. "Besides, Julie, it's not as if I attract too many guys in the first place. Not every girl can be as flirty and…appealing to guys as you, you know."

Julie's laugh rang through the receiver.

"Runo, hon, I know that I have curves but you make it sound like you don't have any at all," she exclaimed. "Look, you're pretty, alright? Beautiful even, but you just don't have the confidence or self-esteem to think so. It's one of the reasons why you can't flirt with guys; you don't have the courage to." She paused. "And, no offense, but I don't think you would even be able to actually flirt."

"I know how to flirt," replied Runo, wounded. "I just haven't found the right guy to do that kind of thing with."

"There's a difference between flirting for guys, and flirting for a laugh, you know that right?"

"What do you mean?"

The silver haired Australian sighed, about to explain when someone on the other end called her name.

"Whoops; that's Kelsey. Sorry, Runo; I have to go to some emergency cheerleading meeting slash sleepover. Apparently, the nerds are rioting and are demanding they be included in this year's Homecoming Parade!"

"Okay, but…"

Runo glared at her phone when she received a 'beep', indicating that Julie had hung up on her. "The cheerleading Homecoming Queen and the tomboyish waitress; how did we become friends again?"

She sighed and dialed another number; she was hungry. After being promised that her pizza would be delivered in half an hour or less, Runo received a text from her other friend, Alice, who lived in Moscow.

_**Hey, Runo; how are you?**_

_**Julie called you, didn't she?**_

_**She might have; she said you had boy troubles.**_

_**Nothing like that; she was complaining about Billy again and I got fed up with it so I told her to talk to him about it. We ended up talking about my lack of flirting skills.**_

_**Julie is a great friend; she was trying to help you, you know. She did the same thing to me when I let her know about my online boyfriend, Shun Kazami. But I understand what you're upset about; she doesn't understand that we're not as outgoing as she is.**_

_**Exactly; but anyways, how's Shun? You guys decide to get hitched yet? ;P**_

_**Oh, be quiet Runo!**_

Even though they were miles away, Runo knew for a fact that her ginger haired friend was blushing madly.

The year before, Alice had started online dating and met this guy called Shun, who she was totally smitten with; the only thing was that she was worried that he would end up being one of those people who faked identities and met up with naive people like her so he could kidnap or rape her.

However, this guy supposedly lived in Tokyo like Runo, so the blue haired teenager went to check him out in Alice's place. She had honestly been expecting some cranky old man with shady eyes, so she was surprised and a little flustered when a tall and handsome guy with jet black hair and topaz eyes opened the door to an extravagant looking dojo.

He confirmed that he was indeed Shun Kazami, a trained ninja, and that he was seeing a Russian girl he had met online. He had been cool and collected, but also very polite and kind-a total gentleman, though she couldn't say the same thing about the friend he had over that day.

Just the thought of Dan Kuso, a loud and obnoxious guy with brown hair and red-oak eyes that ate like a truck driver and had the personality of a child, made Runo cringe; he had constantly irritated her and she eventually blew up at him, despite her efforts to remain cool and collected in front of Shun for Alice's sake, and called him every name she could possibly think of.

She had apologized to Shun, bowing respectfully before storming out of the dojo to call Alice and pray she never saw Dan Kuso ever again.

Unfortunately, both boys went to her high school; something she never knew, even though they were the richest, handsomest, most popular guys there (by the definition of every other girl in school, that is), because she never paid attention.

A beep from Runo's phone reminded her that she had been having a conversation with her friend.

_**Hello, Runo? Are you there?**_

_**Sorry, Alice; I got distracted. **_

_**Oh, okay; sorry, I have to go. My grandfather needs help in the lab.**_

_**Right, a busy man Dr. Michael is; I'll talk to you later.**_

_**Bye, Runo.**_

Runo glanced at the time and saw she had ten minutes before her pizza could be claimed as free. What to do in ten measly minutes?

Her phone buzzed again and she glanced down, frowning when she saw it was Julie.

_Hey!_

_**I thought you went to a sleepover; what's up?**_

_Well, I am at the sleepover but we're playing truth-or-dare and Luciana was dared to make out with Tiffany in the closet so I felt awkward about it and said I needed to use the bathroom._

_**Interesting; what do you want?**_

_Can't a girl just text her best friend for the heck of it?_

_**Julie**_

_Alright, I feel bad about what I said earlier; I didn't mean to make you sound like an oblivious virgin-even if you are one. _

_**You always know what to say**_

_I assume you're being sarcastic; listen, all I wanted to say was that you needed some tips on how to flirt! Why don't you practice?_

_**Practice? On who, my neighbor's cat?**_

_Don't be silly; why don't you practice with Alice's boyfriend?_

_**Yes, because learning how to flirt by practicing with my best friend's boyfriend without her around sounds like a perfect idea.**_

_Ugh, fine! Oh, I know! You can practice with his friend, Danny!_

Runo stared at her phone's screen in disgust.

_**Firstly, his name is Dan; second, I'd rather spend six hours in a mall with you than willingly interact with him! He's the vilest, most disgusting, and annoying person I've ever had the displeasure to meet!**_

_Sounds like unresolved sexual tension to me…_

_**Julie Makimato, I swear that'll I dye your hair green the next time you visit!**_

_No need to be so dramatic, Runo; you're so sensitive today. You're either on your period, or you're hungry. Which is it?_

_**The pizza guy hasn't shown up yet and I haven't eaten since one; it's nearly eight now!**_

_Calm down, calm down; don't go on a killing spree. Back to guys…_

Runo rolled her eyes; Julie had a one-track-mind when it came to the topic of boys.

_**I'm going to regret asking this, but…what about guys?**_

_About your flirting skills, actually; since you won't practice with Dan, why don't you try it with the pizza delivery guy?_

_**What? Flirting with a stranger? What if it's a girl? Some old man?**_

_Normally, I'd say to roll with it, but I know you don't have the guts to actually do something like that. I love you, girly, but hitting on someone all of a sudden is not your character._

…_**I could do it, you know. I COULD flirt with the pizza delivery guy.**_

_Come on, Runo; don't act wounded just because I poked fun and hurt your pride. I didn't mean it like that._

_**You don't believe me**_

_Well, no, I don't; but that doesn't mean I don't think you'll find a guy. You have a great personality._

_**That's what guys say to ugly girls.**_

_Runo Misaki, stop being such a party pooper! I'm sorry, alright? I can't control what I say; I don't think before I speak! You know that better than anyone!_

The doorbell rang.

_**Whatever, Julie; I have to go now. Have fun at your lesbian sleepover; I have a pizza delivery man to flirt with.**_

Runo placed her phone under her pillow, muffling the vibration that let her know that Julie had texted back.

Her stomach growling once more to remind her that she hadn't eaten in hours, Runo sighed and swung her legs over the side of her bed before standing and heading downstairs, not that concerned about her appearance even though she had promised herself she was going to go through with the flirting practice.

The doorbell rang again and Runo ran a hand through her tangled blue hair as she opened the door. "Yeah, yeah; I'm coming." She squinted at the delivery person, obviously male, and was annoyed that he towered over her. Yeah, she was 5"3 and most people towered over her but it didn't make her any happier.

His face was covered by his hat, but she could see that he had brown hair. In his hands he held the box that would instantly cheer up the moody teenager.

"Cheesy Chester's Pizza," said the delivery man, his voice quiet and nervous. "Freshly baked and steaming hot." He paused. "That'll be fifteen."

"Right, need cash," murmured Runo, patting the empty pockets of her sweatpants. She sighed. "Do you mind waiting while I go get some money from upstairs?" She peered around him and frowned when she saw it was snowing, though she wasn't surprised; it was nearly December after all. "Here, you can wait in here so you don't freeze."

"Uh, thanks," replied the delivery boy, placing the box of pizza on the living room's coffee table after he closed the door behind him. Runo nodded once before racing upstairs to get her wallet, which took about a minute and a half.

"Here, you go," she said, handing him the correct amount of currency. "Thanks for the pizza."

"It is my job," joked the delivery guy. "Enjoy your cheesilicious cheesy pizza, courtesy of Chester."

"Oh my god, do you actually have to say that?" Runo asked, laughing.

The delivery guy chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah, the job's pretty strange but I need the cash; my parents don't exactly like how I maxed out all my credit cards on video games."

Runo shook her head. "Well, a job's a job, right? I'm sure your girlfriend isn't happy you're working for a cheap pizzeria though. Again, thanks for the pizza; you probably have a lot more deliveries to hand out." Her own words reminded her of what she had said earlier to Julie and she barely hid her grimace.

"Nah, this was my last one for tonight," replied the guy. "And I'm sure she would be, if I had one. I'm one hundred percent single, despite my friends' attempts to hook me up with the cheerleaders they know. They don't know, but I kinda have my eyes set on one specific girl." He glanced up at the air vent on the ceiling, which was sending in waves of heat. "Whoa, it's pretty hot compared to outside." He took off his hat and Runo's eyes widened.

"Dan?" She exclaimed, stunned. "You work for the pizza place?"

The fifteen-year-old boy nodded, looking slightly ashamed as his cheeks colored. "Yeah, please don't tell anyone…" Runo merely gaped at him. "Anyways, I should get going before that blizzard hits." He cleared his throat, smiling sheepishly. "Uh, enjoy eating your fresh and hot pizza." His smile widened slightly. "Their slogans are cheesy, but their pizzas are just delicious as they look."

Dan turned towards the door when Runo said shyly, "You know…the pizza isn't the only thing that looks delicious." He spun around, his eyes wide in surprise as a blush covered both of their cheeks.

"What?" The poor boy sputtered, eyeing the blue haired teenager. She looked nothing like the prideful and temperamental girl he had secretly developed a crush on; she was looking at the ground and playing with the hem of her tank top-which clung to her torso and was low enough to let him know just how much of a female she was. "What did you say?"

Runo closed her eyes and let out a small sigh, which made her chest move and Dan swallowed nervously as she looked back up with a strange look on her face as she smiled oddly at him.

"You know, I love a guy in a uniform," she said, stepping slightly closer. Dan swallowed again as he stepped back cautiously. "I never noticed, Dan, but you have nice eyes."

And he did, to be honest; she didn't know why she didn't notice before. Maybe it was for the same reason why she never noticed how handsome he actually was or how he looked even more attractive with the form-fitting shirt he had on. Her heart began to pound; was this normal? Why was she even thinking like this?

"Runo…" Dan struggled to find something to say.

He couldn't just be like 'hey, I really like you, you know, so if you don't stop being so flirty, I might end up doing something I'll regret?' Yeah, because that'd end up great; he already knew how much Runo hated his guts. He couldn't help but do everything possible to piss her off; she looked incredibly attractive with her face bright red and eyes shining with passion.

Runo batted her eyelashes innocently, letting her girlish side take over momentarily. "Yes Dan?" Her voice came out light and breathy, something she didn't mean to do, but it affected Dan as he inhaled sharply. "Did you need something? Maybe with that girl you like? If she doesn't see what you have to offer, she's not very bright, is she? She would have called you over, wouldn't she?"

"She kinda did," said Dan quietly, taking another step back only to have her take a step forward. "Though I don't think she was very happy to see me."

"Oh, well, _I'm _glad you're here, Dan," replied Runo, a shy smile on her lips that revealed her pearly whites. Her hands were clasped behind her back and she was leaning forward slightly, making the top of her shirt slip down just enough for him to get a view of two things he had fantasized about.

"Runo," he said. "Quit…quit acting like this." She wasn't being herself at all; she wasn't the flirty or girly type at all, that was why he had been so interested in her. She didn't act like all the other girls at school and try to hit on him constantly.

"Why?" The blue haired girl asked innocently, as if she didn't know why. To be honest, she _didn't _know why. She should have just punched him and laughed, telling him that she was joking and he looked like an idiot. And yet…she couldn't stop; she…she almost wanted to flirt with him, and she didn't know why.

"Because…because…" Dan stammered.

Dark lashes fluttered over her wide-with-innocence aquamarine blue eyes. "Because why, Dan?" A flirtatious smile crossed her pretty pink lips. "I think this is fun."

That smile was his undoing and he moaned quietly before moving swiftly across the distance between them, grabbing her by her wrists and holding them over her head as he pinned her against the nearby wall.

"Because this is why," whispered Dan before he pressed his mouth against hers, making her eyes widen in surprise.

His tongue slipped out and ran across the bottom of her lip, making her gasp, which gave him the chance to touch her tongue with his. His kiss was fierce and passionate, and it set Runo's body on fire to know that he was actually kissing her.

He released her wrists and his hands rested on her shoulders, slowly moving down her arms until they rested on her petite waist. By instinct, Runo's arms lowered until they were loosely around his neck.

His body was pressing against hers, his lips moving painfully slow against hers as if he was about to pull away and Runo was confused as to why she didn't want him to pull him away.

She pulled him back before he could step away though, and this time, she returned the kiss despite not knowing what to do since it was her first kiss. From the slight groan that vibrated from Dan's throat, she had a feeling she was doing alright.

Finally, they separated to breathe. His forehead rested against hers, though he had to lean down to do that since he was several inches taller than her, and they just stared at each other for several minutes.

"I'm the girl, aren't I?" Runo whispered, taking his silence as a yes. "Why? Why didn't you just tell me instead of playing games with me for a year?"

A small smile crossed his lips. "Would you really have taken me seriously if I admitted that I liked you?" She had the decency to blush. "But I think I should be the one to ask you 'why'. What was up with that flirty behavior? That wasn't like you at all."

Runo sighed. "It was nothing; something my friend, Julie, told me made me feel upset and I felt like I needed to prove that I could flirt and affect guys just as well as she could."

"That's stupid," voiced Dan, stepping away from her. Runo oddly missed the close proximity. "If you like a guy, you shouldn't have to change who you are just to impress him. I mean, if you were saving up for a special occasion, then yes; you could flirt like that to affect him because it certainly works." At this, he smirked slightly at her and she blushed despite the redness on his own cheeks.

"Sorry," she murmured.

"Well, I'm not," replied Dan, smiling. "I finally got to kiss the girl I liked, and it was everything I ever dreamt of it being like plus more."

"How so?" Runo questioned curiously. He glanced at her.

"You didn't push me away in disgust and slap me," he said. "And you tasted like vanilla, which is what I thought because that's the same scent of your shampoo."

"And you know how my shampoo smells like because…?" Runo raised an eyebrow.

"You do tend to get up real close when you're yelling at me," pointed out the brunette before he sighed. "Anyways, I should get going before you start yelling at me and kick me out. I'm sorry."

"Sorry?" Runo repeated. "What could you be sorry about? You didn't do anything out of the line."

"I kissed you," reminded Dan. "I thought you would have hated that since you hate me."

She avoided his gaze. "Well…I'm definitely not your biggest fan…but I wouldn't say that I hated the kiss. Quite the opposite, actually. It was definitely…an interesting first kiss."

"That was your first kiss?" Dan looked horrified. "Oh god, I really am sorry. I didn't think that'd be your first kiss."

"Why is it so surprising that I hadn't kissed anyone yet?" Runo asked, looking offended.

Dan began to backpedal, sensing an oncoming explosion if he didn't do something. "I just meant that you're pretty attractive and you're not prissy like the other girls at school, so I thought maybe you had a boyfriend and kissed him or something."

"Well, you thought wrong," replied Runo stiffly. "I have never had a boyfriend and I definitely never kissed anyone. I'm only fifteen, you know. That's just not my style and the guys around here aren't really my type."

"Well, what is your type then?" Dan asked nervously, reminding her that he had admitted he liked her and she hadn't said anything about returning the favor. The question was, did she return the favor or not?"

"My type?" Runo repeated, reaching for the hem of her shirt and playing with it again, not realizing that she was lifting it slightly and flashing him her pale, flat stomach. He swallowed once. "I guess…someone who'll put up with me and temper, and not a total douchebag." She laughed. "For someone who hasn't a boyfriend yet, I can't really have high standards yet, can I?"

Dan didn't reply, staring at her.

She cleared her throat, blushing slightly. "I mean, I think I kinda like someone but I'm not entirely sure." He tensed up, something similar to pain flickering in his normally vibrant eyes. "But I think I know how I can figure out what I really feel for him."

"Oh, how?" Dan asked, not sounding very excited.

"I could kiss him and see if it feels right," started Runo slyly, seeing his face fall and he clenched his fists slightly.

"If you think that'll work," said Dan quietly.

Runo nodded. "I'll try it."

And then she stepped forward, pressing her lips against his for only a few seconds before she pulled away. His eyes were wide with surprise and his mouth was hanging open, though there was a hopeful look on his face.

She smiled, her arms still wrapped loosely around his neck. "Yeah, I was right; he drives me insane and I want to bash his face in sometimes, but I really do like him. Do you think he would like me back if I kissed him again?"

Dan smiled and placed his hands on her waist, pulling her body towards his.

"I think he already does," he said, leaning down. "But it's always best to double check."

And then they kissed for the third and certainly not the last time.

…

**I don't own Bakugan!**

**Ugh, don't know where this inspiration came from! I'm supposed to be focusing on my stupid homework! **

**Anyways, I hope you guys liked it; let me know if you found any mistakes and don't be afraid to drop a review and tell me what you honestly think!**


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